The Treasure of Malcolm Island
Overview ---- Hey guys, Syn again. Another short story. This one takes place in a sci-fi world, however it is on an uninhabited island, reducing the impact of technology. I also attempted to integrate some humor into it this time. Enjoy! : Chapter I ---- Drake gawked at the size of the Titanis. It was one of the three super-cruisers built so far, and its first journey was to tour the infamous Malcolm Island. Drake was headed there not because he was sightseeing, but he was on the hunt for a treasure. Finding it would finally get his name printed in the Bob’s World Record Compendium Edition IV, and he would be come rich! MONEYMONEYMONEY!!!!! And, less importantly, he would carry out his great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother’s final wish. The Titanis flattened two ferries on its way out of the harbor. “Drat, more paperwork,” grumbled the captain. Drake looked on as the giant cruise ship Titanis glided through the rough waves. “Do you think we’ll find it here?” he asked his sidekick, Jose. “Let’s find out.” As the Titanis heaved into Cape Von Strauŝŝ, Drake could see the looming shape of Vŭl Cäne Island, with its ginormous volcanoes, lurking in the distance. One the other side of the Cape Von Strauŝŝ, was their destination, Malcolm Island. Somewhere on the other side of the island was their treasure. Jose pulled out his iPhone 13S again, brushing the dust off of its screen. He pulled up the map and checked for the billionth time that the treasure was on Malcolm Island. Chapter II ---- It was time to put their plan to action. Drake and Jose boarded their little hover skiff, named Cove, that they had cleverly secured to the hull of the ocean liner. The Cove was about ten feet long, and was Jose's prized possession that he had won in a bet. The Cove detached from the Titanis and was just starting to rev up its engine when the Titanis crashed into a tiny sub-island and capsized. Debris slammed into the Cove, critically damaging the engine. Jose and Drake barely got off onto the beach before the Cove’s engine exploded, destroying the skiff. Drake and Jose stumbled onto the soft sand, and stumbled into a tiny cove. Josh scratched out Cove cove onto the wall using a stick, naming the place after his beloved skiff. Then the two adventurers trekked into the jungle beyond the beach. They did not notice the two people lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. Drake gasped as a ghost town spread out before his eyes. It was very small, with a few shops and inns, and an abandoned fusion mine rig. Finding nothing of particular use in the remains of the mining town behind, resuming their journey into the Centurion Jungle, as they had named it. Above them, looming over the treetops, the giant super volcano Mt. Lore II cast a sinister shadow over the jungle. Chapter III ---- 3/23/2530 Hi, my name is Jose. I am on a trip to find the treasure of Malcolm Island, and my friend Drake is accompanying me on the quest. We had just left that creepy mining town when a giant snake, bigger than I had ever seen before, dropped down from the branches, dead. Jose, out. Drake and Jose gaped at the snake outstretched on the ground. Finally, they looked up to see a drakon’s nest on the tree’s lowest branch. Evidently, the snake had tried to steal a drakon egg. With mixed feelings, they continued on their journey. (LOG 001) 3/24/2530 Finally, we have cleared the jungle! However, our joy is mingled with dismay as now we are stuck in a plain of rocky outcroppings, stretching out as far as the eye can see. Jose and I will change direction and head northeast, as we have been heading southeast for almost a day now and with no avail. Drake S. Hayward, out. (END LOG 001) 3/24/2530 Drake and Jose stumbled through the last of the rocks, finally arriving at the desert that they had spotted a few hours ago. “See? I told you we would get out of those rocks.” Said Jose. “Sure. Now lets get out of this desert. Its like 100 degrees in here,” retorted Drake. “Aww, quit whining,” said Jose as they trudged across the sand. Von Malcolus peered through the binoculars, tracking the two adventurers. “Gimme the Bi-whatever!” whined Hoff, his not-so-smart companion. “Gimme! Gimme!” “Be quiet!” Von Malcolus shouted, waving his roll of duct tape threateningly. Drake whirled around, looking toward the jungle. He swore he just heard someone shouting. He squinted at the treetops, but he could barely see anything in the blinding sun. Puzzled, he continued on. 3/26/2530 I am about to die from seasickness! We have been rowing this tiny boat along this river for a day now. We found a beach full of wrecked rowboats as soon as we left the Aeré Desert behind. We are now without a map-I must have dropped my phone somewhere, and Drake left his behind on the Cove. We are doomed… Jose, out. Chapter IV ---- Drake wrestled the oars as their patched-up rowboat struggled upstream. SNAP! The two adventurers cried out in dismay as one oar snapped into pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere. Suddenly, as they were flung around a bend, the river emptied out into a lake. Jose’s face started regaining its natural color. Von Malcolus watched as the two adventurers foolishly abandoned their boat, attempting to swim to shore. “Oh, they’re gonna get it now!” Cried Hoff, gleefully. “ENOUGH!!” Von Malcolus taped Hoff’s mouth shut with four layers of duct tape. Drake looked over his shoulder to see two figures wrestling on a cliff. Then a massive crab blocked his view of the humans. “Josh, ever noticed the giant crab behind us?” Drake asked as the two swam toward the beach. “No-wait, what?!” said Jose, looking over his shoulder. AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! The crab lunged forward with its pincers, hoisting Drake up. Jose threw a rock at the crab, but it glanced off Drake’s head before hitting the crab’s eye. Both of them slumped forward, landing onto the beach. After Drake finally woke up, the two adventures started into the forest. “Did you notice the two people spying on us?” Drake asked. “No, what people?” “You mean you didn’t hear the screaming?” “No, what screaming?” “Never mind.” Said Drake, sighing. Von Malcolus dragged along Hoff, grumbling to himself. The two foolish adventurers were going so sluggishly that he could have slept a week and caught up to them in time to steal the treasure. Then he could ditch this dumb sandbag take off in his skiff. He started wondering why he had brought Hoff along, anyway. Drake and Jose tripped and fell flat on their faces, landing on the hard rock. They were at a loss of words as the treasure chest lay right in front of them, stuck in a mound of mud. Chapter V ---- “We have reached Verdes Peak.” Said Drake. “Yes, yes you have.” Said a sinister voice behind him. Drake and Jose were hit full on with a giant tangle of ropes and duct tape, and fell flat on their faces once again. Drake rolled over and took off in pursuit of the attacker. Nobody noticed Jose running into the jungle. Drake ran after the attacker until he saw the skiff. “See ya, sucka!” yelled the attacker as he climbed into the skiff. Drake slumped. He had failed. Less than a moment later, the attacker was dumped unceremoniously out of the enclosed cockpit, knocked out cold. “Hey, hurry up and get up here!” cried Jose from inside the cockpit. He popped his head out and waved at Drake. As the twosome started up the skiff’s engines, Jose told Drake about his shortcut through the jungle. They laughed joyfully as they drove out into the Cape Von Strauŝŝ and killed the engine. Drake looked up from the ship’s computer. "Hey, there’s another cruise ship bound here any minute." And soon enough, the Queen Maria chugged in to the bay. “Uh-oh.” Said Jose. “Why?” “This skiff doesn’t have a harpoon clamp!” said Jose in dismay. “Yeah, but it does have an emergency flare.” The captain of the Queen Maria wondered why there were two filthy people floating in a skiff in such a desolate place, but he had them hauled onboard anyway. They would be transported to the U.S., where they would be able to return home to wherever they lived. : Epilogue ---- (LOG 002) 3/28/2530 We have secured the treasure! We are on our way home to America, with our mission complete. Our names shall be remembered for a million years. Drake S. Hayward, out. (END LOG 002) 3/28/2530 : :